In a new article appearing in
Salon, they are
talking about the possible downfall of Rep. Bob Ney, also referred to as the
“mayor of Capital Hill”. His alleged involvement in the Abramoff scandal could
signal an end to his political career. Ney is of course denying any wrong doing
and playing the victim in the whole affair:
“Any allegation that Representative Ney did anything illegal or improper
is false,” announced Ney’s spokesman, Brian Walsh, on Monday, in one of the
many recent releases to reporters. “It appears, unfortunately, that
Representative Ney was one of the many people defrauded.”
However, most on Capital Hill see a different picture:
That’s the cover story, at least. A quick look at the Congressional
Record, however, suggests the truth is a bit more damning. In fact, the
betting money in Washington sees Ney, who is known by colleagues as “the
mayor of Capitol Hill,” as a pol whose days are now numbered. He may not be
the only Republican in Congress to lose his job as a result of the Abramoff
investigation, but he is likely to be first in line if congressional
indictments come down. “If Bob Ney is not nailed to the wall here, given
everything we know right now, it will be quite a surprise,” says Norm
Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.In recent days, the Justice Department claimed a “Representative #1,”
later identified as Ney, was a major player in a conspiracy of political
corruption. According to court filings, Abramoff and Scanlon provided Ney
with “a stream of things of value,” including “a lavish trip to Scotland to
play golf on world famous courses, tickets to sporting events and other
entertainment, regular meals at [Abramoff’s] upscale restaurant, and
campaign contributions.” Ney or his staff also received tickets to the 2001
Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., frequent golf expenses for greens around
Washington, D.C., and a 2000 trip to the Northern Mariana Islands, an
American territory in the Pacific that had hired Abramoff as a lobbyist. In
an apparent exchange, prosecutors claim that Ney agreed “to perform a series
of official acts” like placing statements in the Congressional Record,
meeting with Abramoff’s clients and trying to arrange a cellphone business
deal for one of the lobbyist’s clients.
Ney is not the only one under the microscope of the Justice Department right
now. Tom Delay is also considered to be a key player in all this and is being
actively investigated according to the article. Numerous members of Congress,
mostly Republican, could face charges of Bribery from the Abramoff scandal.
The delay right now is the fact Abramoff hasn’t been indicted yet. His former
partner Michael Scanlon entered a guilty plea this week for his involvement in
defrauding Indian tribes. Sources have stated that Scanlon has been working with
investigators for more than five months now and his sentencing has been
postponed until his involvement in the investigation is over. He was ordered to
pay back $19 million in restitution to the Indian tribes.
If more congressmen follow the same line of defense as Ney that could very
well push Abramoff into turning states evidence. Abramoff is already charged
with fraud in Florida on a different scandal. Now that Abramoff’s partner and
long time friend has decided to assist prosecutors in the case, Abramoff has to
be wondering if he should do the same. This is a big turn around from the Senate
hearings this past summer where Abramoff, Scanlon and all their associates
invoked the 5th amendment while testifying.
This story is evolving more into something like the God Father than anything
else. It appears as though Scanlon and Abramoff were at the top of this
capital-mafia family and calling the shots. Even still, if your in Congress you
are expected to have a full understanding of the law, after all you are
lawmakers. This excuse of “being a victim” is not going to fly in the overall
picture. Even more important, this will add to Republican woes in the mid-term
election and possibly all the way up to 2008.